Who says a bucket’s worth of spent Champagne bottles from New Years Eve can’t make a fantastic centerpiece for your rehearsal dinner? Or the pails from your garden shed the perfect focal point at an outdoor wedding? Sometimes the ordinary is ripe for turning extraordinary.

Determined to prove that, with a little creativity, tip-top looks can be achieved with everyday items, we enlisted Real Simple stylist Jeffrey Miller to help dream up pretty centerpieces made almost entirely from items found around your house—all of which are also quite economical and can be put together in about a half-hour!

HOUSEHOLD CONTAINERS you know the ones…dish soap, detergent, shampoo, and shower gels with interesting silhouettes take on new life when stripped of their labels. To achieve this look, start by cleaning out each container thoroughly; Jeffrey notes that the more organic the product is, the easier the label is to peel off. He chose bottles in four naturally-themed colors with a mix of matte and pearly finishes, and suggests a similar palette works best. Place a few small rocks in the bottom of each bottle to give weight. Fill with soft, like-colored blooms to complete!

DIXIE CUPS striped with tape in a contrasting color create an eye-catching table runner when paired with graphic candelabras. Use different cup sizes, and play with stacking and turning a few cups upside down to create dimension. Jeffrey notes that Gerbera daisies go particularly well with this preppy color palette, but that the idea (and the blooms) can be dressed up or down depending on your event and existing colors.

CHAMPAGNE & WINE BOTTLES make an unbelievably opulent centerpiece when massed out and sprayed entirely with gold and silver paint. Jeffrey recommends keeping the labels on (and even keeping a cork or two in a few bottles) when painting to create a ‘dipped’ appearance.

GARDEN SHED ITEMS once cleaned up and given a little shine feel right at home with industrial-tinged serveware at an outdoor or greenhouse event. Plant pails with freshly clipped greens and moss, and finish by placing a few polished river rocks around the perimeter of your vignette.